HOSPITAL MARKETERS: DRIVE MORE E-NEWSLETTER SIGN-UPS WITH THESE 5 STRATEGIES
Your e-newsletter is finalized. Interviews are complete, copy is approved and you’re ready to distribute through your email marketing software. Your health system has the perfect opportunity to provide useful content to audiences and drive revenue, as email marketing generates $38 in ROI for every $1 spent. Plus, the healthcare industry has one of the highest email open rates – at 26.1% – according to the latest IBM Marketing Cloud email marketing metrics report, which increases the chances of audiences reading your content.
But after all of that investment in development – did you make sure your audience has subscribed to receive the newsletter?
Before your hospital’s e-newsletter can stand out in a subscriber’s inbox, you’ll need that person to sign up. On your website and social media channels, promote this content by demonstrating its benefits to your community. Best-in-class healthcare marketers know a strong newsletter includes a balance of “evergreen” content – which is relevant year-round – and timely articles. If you demonstrate how your hospital’s e-newsletter offers both immediate and long-term value, you will see sign-ups increase.
Follow these 5 strategies to drive e-newsletter sign-ups, and ensure you get your return on investment:
- Show off your content: Give your e-newsletter a dedicated page on your website. This page should include a sign-up form along with a generous preview or archive of your newsletter content. When signing up is an informed decision, your subscribers will be less likely to delete your e-newsletter or mark it as spam when it lands in their inbox.
- Make signing up easy: People can’t subscribe if they don’t know how. Consider embedding a call to action and sign-up form at the end of all your hospital blog posts. Add the sign-up app to your Facebook page, and make sure every mention of your e-newsletter comes with an opportunity to subscribe.
- Build interest through social media: Drive audience interest on social media by leveraging the curiosity gap, which is a combination of information and intrigue (like clickbait headlines, only less obnoxious). If your e-newsletter has a feature about staying healthy during flu season, your social media promo could say: @Your_Community_Hospital: Last year, only 40% of adults got the flu vaccine. Learn why this life-saving vaccine isn’t just for kids in our Wellness E-newsletter.
- Differentiate your approach: Tailor your e-newsletter promotions to different audience groups. Hospital marketers should target key audience personas such as the new parent, the elderly patient or the fitness enthusiast. Depending on the size of your social media following, you may also want to connect with more specific groups, such as people with cancer (and their loved ones) or people with chronic pain.
- Add a dose of newsjacking: Your hospital’s e-newsletter should include a combination of evergreen content and timely features. While general wellness topics will keep subscribers engaged, your efforts to promote the e-newsletter on social media should often connect to trending news stories: @Your_Community_Hospital: Dr. Smith, an expert on infectious diseases, answers your questions about the Zika outbreak in this month’s e-newsletter. #ZikaVirus. This newsjacking approach not only helps your health newsletter stand out, it can position your hospital as a responsive, trusted resource for your community.
Let’s talk about your hospital’s content marketing needs. Reach out today.
